


Can't Keep My Hands To Myself

by Duck_Life



Category: Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015)
Genre: Awkward Romance, Clinging, F/F, Fluff, Humor, Touch-Starved
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-01
Updated: 2016-03-01
Packaged: 2018-05-24 04:31:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,210
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6141562
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Duck_Life/pseuds/Duck_Life
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Rey's overly touchy-feely, which wouldn't be a problem if it didn't make Jessika's heart skip a beat every time Rey touches her.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Can't Keep My Hands To Myself

Rey settles into the swing of things on the D’Qar base quickly enough once she and Luke return. She’s friendly enough, knows her way around, and never backs down from asking questions. Still, the number one indicator that she’s really settling in is that she won’t stop touching everyone.

The droids get little pecks which make BB-8 blurb gleefully and C-3PO stammer gratuitously. Snap, Karé, and some of the other pilots get fist-bumps and light shoulder punches. The few children running around the base get hair tousles and stooped-down low fives. Rey shocks everyone one day when she throws her arms around the General at the end of a briefing and hugs her like a daughter embracing her mother.

She’s constantly hanging on Poe and Finn, linking arms with them, resting her head on their shoulders. She plays with Poe’s hair and curls against him like he’s a human space heater, and he occasionally scoops her up and carries her around, often against her will. Finn ends up holding her hand a lot and taking her arms and once— _once_ — tickling her until she cries.

Everyone in the Resistance finds Rey’s clinginess endearing— everyone except for Jessika Pava, who can’t stand it.

It’s not that she doesn’t like it— she likes it a little too much. Okay, _way_ too much.

The first time Rey runs to meet her on the landing pad following a mission and flings her arms around her neck, Jess can swear she’s never felt such a combination of warmth, safety, and elation in her entire life.

The feeling diminishes somewhat as she watches Rey do the same to every other pilot as they land. Just happy for the victory, Jess decides, and she tucks away her tangled up mess of emotions and decides to deal with it never.

The thing is, Rey doesn’t stop. Sure, she doesn’t touch Jess as much as she does the boys, but it’s still more than Jessika’s little gay heart can handle.

For instance, one morning over breakfast, Rey suddenly reaches across the table and grabs Jess’s hand. “That’s a beautiful ring,” she says through a mouthful of cold cereal. “Where did you get it?”

Jess tries to smile, but her heart’s hammering and she’s afraid Rey can probably feel her pulse thrumming against the soft touch of her fingers. “It was my mom’s,” she says. “She got it from a little shop back on Dandoran.”

“It’s so pretty,” Rey says. “Your mom has a good eye.” And then Rey lets go of her hand. Jess tries to ignore the little drop in her stomach.

One day, Jess is sitting in the lounge watching a holovid when Rey plops down on the couch beside her and starts flipping through technical schematics on her tablet. Jess finds it increasingly difficult to pay attention to her movie the closer Rey snuggles into her, and with every rise and fall of Rey’s chest she finds her own chest feeling just a little bit tighter.

That night, Jess barrels into Poe’s quarters without even knocking. “You have to stop her,” she announces, waving her arms dramatically. “I can’t take this anymore, you— you have to put an end to this _torment_.”

“Will do, right away,” Poe says without looking up from his book. “Except who? And what… are you talking about?”

Jess flops theatrically down on the foot of his bed as he finally looks up at her. “ _Rey_.”

“Ugh,” Poe groans, teasing. “That… jerk. What did she do this time? Pet a dog too hard? Compliment your hair too forcefully?”

Jessika glares at him before launching into her tale of woe. “She’s _so_ affectionate,” she sighs. “It’s always hugs and dragging me along by the hand and… I mean, it’s a good thing she hasn’t tried to kiss me on the cheek or something, I’d probably die.”

“I don’t get it,” Poe says, setting his book aside and sitting up straight. He’s shifted into Helpful Best Friend Mode. “You don’t have a problem with people touching you. I mean except for Karé, but she’s got that weird thing about never washing her hands. So what’s your issue with Rey touching…” As he speaks, Jess’s eyes get wider and wider like she’s trying to tell him something. “Oh. Ohhh.”

“Shut up.”

“I didn’t say anything!”

“Shut _up_.”

Poe grins like a cat. “You _like_ her.”

“Shuuuuuuuut up.”

Poe, bless him, is bouncing up and down a little. “You like her! You have a crush on the little Jedi. Oh, man, this is great.”

“ _No_ it’s _not_ ,” Jessika laments. “It’s awful. It’s _bad._ Rey’s just a kid.”

“She’s literally three years younger than you.”

“Well,” Jess says, “yeah, sure. But, I mean come on, you know her. She’s so innocent.”

“Innocent?” Poe coughs. “Just last week she chugged a whole spacebeer, burped in my face, and then laughed at me.”

“Still.” Jess sighs and leans back on the bed. “And, besides, it’s not like she feels the same way. That’s the worst part, really, is that she’s basically crawling all over me and it doesn’t even mean anything to her. Meanwhile I’m trying not to have a heart attack.”

“You think she doesn’t like you back?”

“Of course she doesn’t like me back.”

“Mm-hmm,” Poe says, rolling his eyes before attempting to imitate Rey’s voice. “‘Jessika’s sooo pretty. Jessika’s sooo smart. Jessika’s suuuuch a good pilot.’”

“Okay, first of all, _spot on_ impression,” she says of his absolute butchering of Rey’s accent. She then drops her voice and adds, “Did she really say all that stuff?”

“Uh, she won’t shut up about you,” Poe says. “It’s kind of annoying. It’s _really_ annoying. You should go talk to her so I can finally get some peace and quiet.”

“Nooo,” she whines. “I’m gonna get all nervous and I get butterflies in my stomach and then I want to throw up. _You_ talk to her.”

“I would, but I think a declaration of love coming from the gayest pilot in the Resistance would sound a little insincere.”

Jess throws his own pillow at him. “You are _not_ the gayest pilot in the Resistance.”

“Then prove it! Go ask her out! Reclaim your title.”

“Fuck you,” Jess mutters, but she storms out, shoulders set, determined.

She finds Rey still balled up on the couch in the lounge, completely absorbed in whatever technical document she’s been reading. “Hey,” Jess says, sounding a little too angry. She takes a second to calm down and sits down on the couch beside Rey, fidgeting with her hands. Rey immediately turns toward her like a moon in orbit, and Jessika loses whatever cool she had. “You wanna do something?”

Rey cocks an eyebrow. “Like what?”

 _Make out, fall in love, get married, grow old together, run away to Naboo to run a charming little Space B &B. _“It’s clear tonight,” Jess shrugs. “We could go look at the stars.”

A slow, slow smile spreads across Rey’s face. Jess thinks her life might get a little bit brighter every single time that girl smiles. “That sounds fun,” Rey says, shutting off her tablet. “Let’s go.”

As they’re heading out the lounge door, Rey slips her hand into Jess’s.

For the first time, Jess doesn’t mind.


End file.
